Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: All-time goals, stats, trophies, Ballon d'Or comparison

Both players have gone toe-to-toe with each other throughout their careers.

As far as football players go, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are among the greatest to have ever stepped on the field. Throughout their two-decade careers, both men have been outstanding goal scorers and have developed a variety of strategies to put the ball in the back of the net.

Although this is the most difficult ability in the beautiful game, the talented duo have made it appear simple throughout the years, occasionally scoring goals just for enjoyment. Messi and Ronaldo can threaten rival teams with set-piece goals, headers, and well-placed strikes from their weak foot. They are effective in nearly any circumstance.

During their tenure in Europe, they effortlessly made football look simple by scoring over 30 goals a season, winning the Golden Boot, and constantly vying for individual accolades. During their dominating era, it was difficult to foresee any other players beating them for any individual title.

Scoring goals became bread and butter for them. They never showed any sign of slowing down even after reaching their 30s and kept proving to us that, with enough dedication, you can achieve excellence in your career.

In this article, we take a look at their career goals and how many goals they have scored for their clubs in the past and present.

Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: All-time career goals and statistics

Since Cristiano Ronaldo is the all-time leading goalscorer, while Messi is the second-highest top scorer, the former Barcelona star can still finish first, given he is two years younger than Ronaldo if he continues playing for more years.

Still, Ronaldo deserves all the plaudits since, when the 39-year-old decides to put up his boots, he will surely have scored well over 950 goals for both club and country.

It’s fascinating to see that Lionel Messi is the more reliable goal scorer, even if he has fewer overall career goals. The Inter Miami star is slightly superior to Ronaldo’s 0.73 ratio, with an average of 0.78 goals per game.

When you consider the roles that both men have played in their illustrious careers, this becomes even more astounding. Although Cristiano Ronaldo was a skilled winger in his earlier years after that CR7 has spent almost the last ten years playing as a centre-forward.

But Messi has never been the same player in terms of pure striking ability. During his career, Messi has mainly played as a winger on the right wing or as an attacking midfielder behind the striker. He has very seldom operated as an out-and-out striker in his career.

	Cristiano Ronaldo	Lionel Messi
Goals	937	865
Assits	257	384
Appearances	1280	1103

Cristiano Ronaldo Vs Lionel Messi: Who has scored more goals in their career?

Club/Nation	Cristiano Ronaldo	Club/Nation	Lionel Messi
Sporting CP	5	Barcelona	672
Manchester United	145	Paris Saint-Germain	32
Real Madrid	450	Inter Miami	47
Juventus	101	Argentina	112
Al-Nassr	99	–
Portugal	137	–
Total	937	Total	863

Both are now in the twilight of their career. When they decide to finally call their retirements, it will be the saddest part in sporting history. The joy they have provided the fans all over the world is priceless. However, for now, we must enjoy seeing them play football and cherish their twilight career, as long as it lasts. Both players are among the top two in terms of most goals scored in football history.

Cristiano Ronaldo Vs Lionel Messi: Who has better stats in the UEFA Champions League?

Talking about the UEFA Champions League, Ronaldo leads Messi in goals, assists, appearances and even trophies.

	Cristiano Ronaldo	Lionel Messi
Goals	140	129
Assits	42	40
Appearances	183	163
Trophies	5	4

Cristiano Ronaldo Vs Lionel Messi: Who has better stats in International football?

Ronaldo and Messi have been going head to head even in international football for years now, and both look set to play in the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup. Ronaldo total goals are more, while Messi leads in the assists department and trophy department. Messi also holds an Olympic gold medal.

	Cristiano Ronaldo	Lionel Messi
Goals	137	112
Assists	37	58
Appearances	220	191
Trophies	3	4
Olympic Gold Medals	0	1

Who has won more trophies, between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo?

Lionel Messi leads Ronaldo in the trophies list, he has also won the FIFA World Cup in 2022. While Ronaldo leads Messi in the UCL trophies race.

	Cristiano Ronaldo	Lionel Messi
Trophies	36	46
League Titles	7	13
Champions League	5	4
FIFA World Cup	0	1
Copa America/Euros	1	2
UEFA Nations League	2	0

Who has won more Ballon d’Ors, between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo?

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been sharing the Ballon d’Or stage for the best part of the last two decades. Messi leads Ronaldo in the list of most Ballon d’Ors with eight to his name. However, Ronaldo has been nominated for the award a record 18 times.

	Cristiano Ronaldo	Lionel Messi
Ballon d’Or	5	8
Top 2	11	13
Top 3	12	14
Nominations	18	16

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Telegram.